The Great Kitchen Flood of 2021

And it’s not showing any sign of slowing down. Leading Economist Tony Alexander recently conducted his Spending Plans Survey and results are clear – confidence in spending is continuing to increase in the next 3-6 months. Spending on home renovations is second only to our plans to spend our hard-earned dosh on domestic travel.

So, this is a conversation between you, our wonderful clients planning on building a home or renovating your kitchen, and us – Mastercraft Kitchens locations around the country. We are sharing this blog in effort to help us all understand the reality, and pressures of the boom we are currently experiencing. 

So, what’s going on then?

What many of us initially thought might be a downturn in business has been quite the reverse in the construction industry (Check out the stats here).  Across our 28 locations, the increase in demand is reported between 30% to more than 100%.

It would be a mild understatement to say that demand is outstripping supply in the home renovation and building industry at present.

Don’t get us wrong, we LOVE being busy, but what we are experiencing is unprecedented demand that the whole industry is finding challenging. So, we thought we’d share a bit about what’s happening… because knowledge is power.

Do you have the people to get the job done?

As the market shows no sign of slowing down, our business owners are coming up with new ways to recruit the extra staff they need to respond to the workload and craft more kitchens.  Staffing shortages are a nationwide conversation across multiple industries – and we are no different.  So essentially, we are trying to service an increasing market with similar sized teams.

What about materials and supply?

Materials are largely being managed across the country by our fantastic suppliers, however there are some situations where components are taking longer to access or import.  This can hold up the finishing touches of a kitchen.

Your kitchen is one part of your home where a large number of components come together (appliances, cabinets, hinges, drawers, handles, benchtops, splashback, sink, tap, bins, lighting…), so the current complexities in material supply may impact on completion timing.

Something’s gotta give right?

Good question – glad you asked.

The sacrifice is time because we won’t sacrifice quality.  We would LOVE to meet all requests for new kitchens, but time and resources dictate the response and timing.  For the most part, our clients are very understanding. And for that we sincerely thank you. 

It’s now July and a number of our licensees are experiencing lead times heading into 2022, so patience and forward planning are needed by everyone. If your local Mastercraft Kitchens offers to put you on a waiting list, rest assured that they will genuinely follow up with you when they can.

What do I do now?

So, with all of that said…

• Get in as soon as you can because the industry is at the mercy of material cost increases – we are already seeing this happen.
• Now is the time to plan, visit show homes and our showrooms for ideas, create a mood board (Pinterest is great), and ask around about appliances.
• If you are waiting patiently for your consultation, use that time to research and plan and visualise what your dream kitchen may look like. Check out our Kitchen Look Books for ideas and styles.
• Renovating? Download our comprehensive FREE Renovation Guide – it’ll give you a really good framework to make the process and decisions easily.
• And here’s a thought… if you’re looking for a career change, you could study as a designer, joiner or installer and join our fantastic industry!